Fiat's big hatch the Grande Punto was launched in India yesterday at a mouth watering price of Rs. 3.99 lakh onwards (ex-showroom Delhi). The Punto's 85% local content has enabled Fiat to price it attractively and make a stron bid at garnering market share in the already crowded segment. The Grande Punto is being made at Fiat's new facility at Ranjangaon near Pune. Launched with a 1.2 litre petrol, 1.4 litre petrol and a 1.3 litre Multijet diesel the Punto's price ranges from Rs. 3.99 lakh for the base 1.2 litre model to Rs. 6.11 lakh for the top of the line diesel variant.

Fiat hopes to sell 2000-2500 units of the Punto each month and garner a 11-12% market share. It's Ranjangaon facility has an annual production capacity of 2,00,000 cars. Fiat is making a strong comeback with the recently launched Linea sedan and now the very capabale Punto hatchback.

Monitoring the automotive industry to keep you updated on the latest news, scoops and launches. Published by Udit Bhandari. IndiBlog is looking for contributors. If you are a petrol head and can write too, drop in a line to udit(at)indimoto(dot)com.